Derivational economy in composite probing

The case of the lian…dou construction in Mandarin Chinese

Bibliographic Data

ID20394847
AuthorsHuacheng Cao (Center for Applied Linguistics, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume34
Issue4
Pages763-800
Publication date2025-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of East Asian Linguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0925-8558 • E-ISSN: 1572-8560
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s10831-025-09310-7
OpenAlexW4414092330
LanguageIT
References cited78

Since van Urk (2015), composite [A/Ā] probes have been widely adopted for movements that exhibit both A- and Ā-properties. However, the interaction between the [A] and [Ā] features in composite probes is still poorly understood, particularly regarding which feature acts as the movement trigger. This paper addresses this gap by investigating the lian ... dou construction in Mandarin Chinese. Although movements in the lian ... dou construction are motivated by the same focus interpretation, DP foci undergo A-movement whereas VP and CP foci undergo Ā-movement. I argue that this state of affairs follows from the composite [A/Ā] probe involved in the lian ... dou construction and its interaction with principles of economy. VP and CP foci agree with the [A/Ā] probe only in the [Ā] feature, resulting in Ā-movement of these foci. By contrast, DP foci are fully matching goals. When both types of movement are possible for DP foci, an explicit economy calculus implies that A-movement is a more economical derivation than Ā-movement. Consequently, while DP foci undergo A-movement due to economy, only Ā-movement is available for VP/ CP foci

Composite number · Mandarin Chinese · Theoretical linguistics · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation